Clarke Willmott begins redundancy talks

Clarke Willmott begins redundancy talks” />Clarke Willmott has joined the growing number of firms putting lawyers under the threat of redundancy.

The Birmingham headquartered firm, which also has offices in Bristol, Southampton and Taunton, said the redundancies would affect up to 40 fee earners and support staff across the offices and the consultation would “impact on most legal divisions”.

Chief executive David Sedgwick said: “These steps are being taken in direct response to lower demand for legal services being felt by all firms at the moment and we don’t take them lightly.

“We, like most firms, are reviewing half-year figures at the end of October, and need to adapt to changing economic circumstances. By taking decisive action now, rather than deferring to the new year, we will emerge from this period of turmoil as a far stronger business when market conditions improve.

“The numbers of people affected by this programme represent a very small proportion of the firm, and our priority must be to safeguard the long-term interests of Clarke Willmott.”

It brings the total number of redundancies under threat across the profession to just under 800.